


Pay Up

by sunaddicted



Series: Tumblr Prompts 2021 [5]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Banter, Established Relationship, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Post-Mission, Short, Short & Sweet, Sweet, Tenderness, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 11:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30105408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunaddicted/pseuds/sunaddicted
Summary: “I didn’t know I’m a side character inThe Night of the Living Dead”“I didn’t know your ego is small enough to allow you to be only a side character”
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Series: Tumblr Prompts 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2182554
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35





	Pay Up

**Author's Note:**

> For the lovely @booskerdu who asked for 00q + "Are your nails painted?" with bonus points if it was said either to Bond or Mallory

_ Pay Up _

When Q opened his eyes, he wasn’t exactly sure about what time it was; the only thing he knew was that he had managed to find his way home around 4:25 am after pulling a 72-hour shift, tired enough that he had conceded to being driven right to his front door by a helpful junior agent, and that after drinking a glass of milk - there must have been enough nutrients in it to tide him over until he had the energies for an actual meal, right? - he had face-planted in bed, still dressed in his slacks and cardigan combo.

The ache in his stomach and the migraine creeping up on him were the sign of his body telling him that no, a glass of milk hadn’t been an adequate substitute to a proper snack; it was a familiar feeling of generalized uneasiness that he knew would disappear as soon as he had some carbs in him - the challenge was getting up and out of bed, though. His cats weren’t screaming murder at him, yet which either meant they had found a way to break in the cabinet where he kept the kibble - something he wouldn’t put past them - or that James had decided to find his way to his flat rather than his own swanky one in Chelsea. 

One day they would have  _ the talk _ and finally solve the situation of their living arrangements but that definitely wasn’t the day.

Or night.

Q turned to the side and squinted at the alarm clock on his bedside table.

11:43 am.

Day, definitely.

Detangling himself from the sheets and gathering the energies to even put his feet on the ground had taken much more time than Q would ever admit to - though, if James was somewhere in the flat he probably had been listening on the hinges of the old bed complaining at his every move. Q wasn’t sure about whether he would kiss the man or punch him in that smug face of his for not even trying to help.

(He’d probably kiss him thankfully for not having breached his privacy because if there was one thing Q couldn’t stand, it was being vulnerable - even in front of the man he loved).

“I didn’t know I’m a side character in  _ The Night of the Living Dead _ ”

“I didn’t know your ego is small enough to allow you to be only a side character”

James grinned, reaching out to drag the younger man in his lap “I feel called out”

“That was the aim” Q humphed even as he leaned into the other’s embrace, squinting down at the hands knotted over his stomach “Are your nails painted?” he inquired, even as he took one of those hands to bring it closer to his face - the squinting was starting to get to him, making the tension in his temples grow “It’s a very fetching colour”

“Alec picked it, I lost a bet”

“You two need to stop betting on literally everything and everyone”

“You’re no fun”

“That’s not what I hear in the bedroom”

“Minx” the agent kissed the other’s cheek, the unfamiliar stubble shadowing his jaw making his lips prickle: Q was the kind of man who kept his face clean-shaven day in and day out, even during the rare day offs he took and the even more rare holidays. The fact that he hadn’t shaved yet, it was a testament to just how exhausted he was; it made something in his belly twist and turn with the need to keep Q close and take care of him, even if the man was perfectly capable of taking care of himself “Breakfast?”

“I thought you’d never ask”


End file.
